


make this moment last

by QueenWithABeeThrone



Series: city of the future (or: the hamdevil au) [3]
Category: Hamilton - Miranda, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Birthday Fluff, Gen, HAPPY BIRTHDAY ALEX passes out
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-11
Updated: 2016-01-11
Packaged: 2018-05-13 05:19:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,363
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5696503
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QueenWithABeeThrone/pseuds/QueenWithABeeThrone
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>
    <b>KAMALA:</b>
  </i>
  <br/>
  <i>hey hey HEY</i>
  <br/>
  <i>HAPPY BIRTHDAY</i>
</p><p>or: Alexander Hamilton celebrates his birthday, with some help.</p>
            </blockquote>





	make this moment last

**Author's Note:**

> the gdoc title for this was "HAPPY BIRTHDAY ASSHOLE". just thought you should all know.

**KHAAAAAAN** _@KhanKamala1999_  
happy 261st to @adotham! #HappyBirthdayHam

 **for pete's sake** _@PParker_  
happy 50th to @adotham! wait, no, sorry. 261st. #lookinggood #HappyBirthdayHam

 **J.B. Barnes** _@ImBuckyBarnes_  
happy birthday to Steve's new fella! #cap4ham

 **Steve Rogers** _@RealCaptainA_  
happy birthday to @adotham! I apologize for @ImBuckyBarnes. #HappyBirthdayHam

 **Casey W** _@foreversherlocked_  
EY YO #HAPPYBIRTHDAYHAM

 **New York Post** _@nypost_  
#HappyBirthdayHam! Your gift: an open invitation to the offices of the NY Post.

 **Foggy Nelson** _@fnelson_nm_  
@karen_p so how long till the guys at the Post regret this? #HappyBirthdayHam

 **k dot page** _@karen_p_  
@fnelson_nm I'm giving them fifteen minutes, tops. #whoops #HappyBirthdayHam #worstgift

 **Foggy Nelson** _@fnelson_nm_  
@karen_p don't you mean #BESTgift???

\--

Alexander's birthday starts with, of all things, a rock and a broken window.

"For someone who keeps getting rocks thrown at his window," says Nick--his neighbor, with a penchant for building and fixing things, "you're remarkably unfazed." The man bends down, picks up the latest note that's accompanying this rock, and turns it over in his gloved hand.

"Is it an unsigned death threat?" Alexander asks, a little annoyed. It's early morning, and there's a will that he needs to look over again before they head back into court tomorrow just in case they missed some details, and birthdays are the _last_ thing on his mind. " _Again_? Because it got old by the Ayala case, and whoever's throwing these should really know by now I'm not about to _quit_ just 'cause they keep breaking my window."

Nick stares at him a moment, blue eyes incredulous, before he huffs out a laugh. "You know, you remind me of somebody," he says. "She wasn't fazed by threats either."

"Smart woman," Alexander comments. "What happened to her?"

There's a shadow that passes over Nick's face, and for a moment he looks so much older than twenty-five. "She died," he says, quiet.

"Oh." Alexander shoves his hands into his pockets, lets out a long breath. Thinks of Eliza, and the ghost of her smile. "I'm sorry," he says, the words empty, insufficient.

Nick shakes his head, and the shadow is gone as fast as it came. "It was a long time ago," he says, but his smile is fragile. Alexander should know. "Anyway--it's not a threat. It says _happy birthday_."

Alexander snatches the note from his hand, reads it twice over. "What date is it?" he asks, faintly.

"January 11," says Nick, then he smacks his fist into his palm. "Shit, I forgot--happy birthday! Sorry I don't have any gifts, I owe you one."

"An intact window would be a great birthday gift," Alexander tries.

"I'm not your window guy, Mr. Hamilton," says Nick, dryly. "Nice try, though."

"A working coffeemaker, then," says Alexander. "Mine got hit with a rock. You fix that, I'll cancel the debt. Do we have a deal, sir?"

A corner of Nick's mouth turns up in a grin, and he says, "Sure," sticking his gloved hand out for Alexander to shake.

\--

 **NELSON:**  
okay fair warning  
don't come inside the office just yet

 **A. HAM:**  
you realize its not a surprise party  
if youre warning the guy youre trying to surprise

 **NELSON:**  
no party here  
unless, of course, you count the funky smells!  
i think they're having a party and they invited the rats  
seriously considering taking Matt's advice and just fumigating the entire place  
but other than that  
there is no party.  
none.

 **A. HAM:**  
sure  
no party  
suuuuure  
¬_¬

 **NELSON:**  
dude  
please just  
act surprised  
and when did you learn emoticons???

 **A. HAM:**  
shouldnt be too hard  
theres this thing i think its called a search bar you type "text emoticons" into it

 **NELSON:**  
i get it i get it  
you are such a smartass

\--

"Mr. Hamilton!"

"Mrs. Linard, good morning," says Alexander, as the little old lady all but tackles him in a hug. It's been a week or two since the last time he swung by Mrs. Linard's restaurant, longer since the last time he and Foggy visited together. There's still some bumps that need to be smoothed over, after That Night, but Alexander likes to think they're on their way. "Ow, _ow_ , watch the shoulder--"

"Oh, sorry," says Mrs. Linard, letting go and grabbing on to his other arm. "I hear from my granddaughter it's your birthday today! Is this true?" For a woman as small and frail-looking as she is, Mrs. Linard has a tight grip, and Alexander's forced to follow her along as she marches him to a table before he can ever answer. "You! You saved my restaurant. _Twice_."

"That first one was more of a team effort," Alexander says, sitting down all the same.

Mrs. Linard holds her finger up to his lips, and says, firmly, "Talk _less_. Today? You eat for free." She whirls around, and yells something in Greek too fast for Alexander to even begin to parse, but he does hear the term _papari_ again. "Happy birthday, Mr. Hamilton. Tell your friend to come by more often, I have a box of koulourakia just for him."

"I'll be sure to let him know," says Alexander. "Wait--koulou--"

"Cookies," says Mrs. Linard. "Traditionally, they're for Easter, but for you and Mr. Foggy Nelson, I can make exceptions."

\--

 **JONES:**  
trish said it was your birthday  
congrats on surviving your first year in a brand new world  
and on getting shot again

 **A. HAM:**  
is no one ever going to let me live that down  
that was MONTHS ago

 **JONES:**  
let me think  
no  
dropped something off at n &m btw  
dont tell nelson i told you

 **A. HAM:**  
dont worry ill do my best to act surprised  
is it booze

 **JONES:**  
nope

\--

There's a shortcut Alexander sometimes takes--it's one that Foggy and Matt use most often to get to Josie's quicker, on their way from work, and by now Alexander's memorized the twists and turns of said shortcut. One advantage: less paparazzi hanging around.

Another is that this is one of Spider-Man's regular patrol routes, and if Alexander's timed his entrance just right, the costumed crusader himself should be appearing just about--

"Mr. Hamilton!"

\--now.

"Spider-Man," Alexander greets him, leaning against a wall. "Shouldn't you be, you know, _in school_?"

"Nah, my only class today was cancelled 'cause the professor got sick," says Peter, spinning a thread so he can dangle upside-down from the fire escape. Alexander's not sure why he prefers that position, whenever they meet up on the street--something about spider instincts, Peter had once explained, through a mouthful of Christmas cookies. It seems more inconvenient than anything, Alexander's had to help him scoop his things back into his bag more than once. "I have pretty much the whole day to fight crime!"

"Or do your homework," says Alexander.

"You are such a dad," says Peter. "Don't worry, most of it's done."

" _Most_ of it," says Alexander, raising an eyebrow.

Peter coughs. "So if I were to get your perspective on the Federalist Papers and how they're used nowadays--"

"Right," says Alexander, straightening up and running his hand through his hair, "tell me you have a recorder--"

"Not right now!" says Peter, holding his hands up. Or. Down. When someone's upside-down it gets a bit confusing. "I'm saving it for when I have baked goods that I can bribe you with."

"I could sue you for bribery, y'know," Alexander comments.

Peter snickers. "Who'd get you Aunt May's apple pies, then?" he asks.

"I'd charm her," says Alexander, folding his arms, but he can't stop himself from grinning.

"Oh my god," says Peter, "oh my _god_ \--do _not_. You tomcat. Do _not_ charm my Aunt May!" He huffs out a breath, and says, "I was going to give you something but, you know what, I am--I'm gonna just give it to Gwen instead, next time she comes back from London, she totally deserves it more--"

"All right, all right," Alexander laughs, holding his hands up. "No charming your aunt for extra pies. Now can I have it?"

"I _guess_ ," says Peter. He drops onto his feet, more like a cat than a spider, then takes his bag off his shoulders and unzips it, rummaging around in its contents before he digs out a small, red brick of plastic. A USB, Alexander quickly remembers. "That," he says, "is about--almost a century's worth of music. And musicals." He fidgets, betraying his moniker and revealing his youth, and says, "No _1776_. Promise."

Alexander catches the USB when it's tossed to him, and turns it over in his hand. Sometimes he can't quite believe they've come this far, to squeeze a century's worth of history into a plastic brick no bigger than his thumb. "Good, because if I were to catch a _whiff_ of John Adams--"

Peter snorts out a laugh, muffled by the mask, and says, "No, no John Adams here. Or Andrew Jackson. And--happy birthday, old man."

\--

 **KAMALA:**  
hey hey HEY  
HAPPY BIRTHDAY

 **A. HAM:**  
if youre out fighting crime right now i swear

 **KAMALA:**  
no dude it's fine  
i've got a break from school rn i just wanted to say hi  
also  
_[attached:[aintnoparty.png](http://www.quickmeme.com/img/06/064cec5e659fed1c5301ac339dc29b5fbfc68749d74e090036fd82d99a31be23.jpg)]_

 **A. HAM:**  
im printing this out  
embossing it  
getting a 3d printer just for it  
hanging it on the wall in our office for all to see and touch

 **KAMALA:**  
you are the best sir  
also enjoy the clone wars

 **A. HAM:**  
the what now  
kamala  
KAMALA

\--

Alexander's next stop is Starbucks--as expensive as their coffee can be, he can't deny that they're very, very good, so he shoulders his way past the doors--quietly thankful once they shut and the winter chill fades away to something more manageable--and falls in line.

Then he hears it: "Mr. Hamilton?"

"Ms. Frisby!" he says, turning around to see Terrie Frisby, with heavy bags under her eyes and a determinedly cheery look. "I must admit, I hadn't expected to see you here."

"I didn't either," says Frisby, with a small smile. "I was going to get coffee at my regular place, but apparently they're closed for the day? So I figured, why not." She rocks back on her heels and says, "Oh, and--uh, happy 261st birthday! Sir."

"50th," Alexander corrects, internally wincing a little. "I _was_ dead, those past two centuries don't count."

"Yeah, I guess," says Frisby, before glancing at the menu. "Hey," she says, "I didn't get you anything, I didn't think I'd run into you again, but--how about I pay your way?"

Alexander shakes his head, says, "I wouldn't impose on you, Ms. Frisby, I can certainly pay for my own coffee and donut--"

"I'll split it," says Frisby. "I wanted to ask you a few things anyway. Like, your perspective on the changing views on homosexuality. And also about the bank, my girlfriend's an economist and she's been pestering me to talk to you about how you feel about the national debt--"

"Sure," says Alexander, "just--you don't have any classes today, right?"

"Nope," says Frisby. "I took the day off to finish a paper." She grins up at him and says, "So I'm all yours for the next few hours."

"Happy birthday to me, I suppose," says Alexander, eliciting a laugh out of her. "Yeah, I think my coworkers are putting a party together, so I've got the time."

\--

 **NELSON:**  
the rats are gone!  
you can come over now

 **A. HAM:**  
rats  
sure  
suuuuuuure

\--

Abstractly, Alexander knows there's a party waiting for him at the office. He knows--or he likes to think he knows--Foggy, and in the months he's known the man, Foggy's never passed up an opportunity to celebrate something. He wonders how he'll achieve it within the constraints of the budget, though, and entertains ideas of a cheaply decorated cupcake with a single candle on his desk. Maybe an avocado.

He chuckles, shakes the thought away and steps inside.

There's an avocado-shaped cake on his desk. More than that, there's a banner declaring "HAPPY ~~261ST~~ 50TH BIRTHDAY HAMILTON" above Karen's desk, a large array of presents, Foggy's MP3 player plugged into a set of speakers playing the musical at full blast, and--

"I want you to know," says Matt, smoothing out the wrinkles in the green coat that's a rather poor replica of Alexander's old green coat, "that the clothes were not my idea." 

"Where's your patriotism, Matt!" Foggy huffs, clad in a Continental Army uniform. Alexander holds back a laugh at how wrong his hat's position is. 

"Happy birthday, Alex," says Karen, with a grin, wearing a shabby version of the brown coat Alexander remembers students wearing, back when he'd attended Columbia when it was King's College, "sorry about these two clowns. And, uh. Jessica." 

Jessica Jones, the only one in the office who hasn't dressed up in clothes from Alexander's time, shakes her head. "I told you guys I just wanted to drop something off," she says, then fishes something out of her pocket and tosses it over to Alexander, who catches it before it can hit the ground. "Happy birthday," she says, and for once, smiles, soft and almost sad. It looks odd on her, but then, Alexander's barely ever seen her smile genuinely. "You'll probably like it." 

\-- 

The party--such as it is, once Jones leaves--winds down quickly enough. It's not a huge affair by any means, anyway, they can't afford it, but--still. Alexander's touched they went to all the trouble, even after--well. He's not going to dwell on that. 

"Hey," says Karen, as Alexander sits at his desk and starts to unwrap Jones' gift. "Do me a favor and watch _Wrath of Khan_ first, all right? I need an edge." 

"I'm not getting in between you and Foggy, Karen," says Alexander with a laugh, ripping away the paper. The laugh fades as he stares down at the framed portrait--dark eyes, bright smile, her dark hair hidden underneath a powdered white wig. On the attached note, a scribbled inscription-- _happy birthday. I think she'd be proud._

It's not a gesture Alexander even thought Jessica capable of making, so brief has their acquaintance been, but he stares down at Eliza's portrait and says, "Me too, Jones. Me too." 


End file.
